True Love is Imaginary
by FlanChanVon
Summary: Nera, a shy, clumsy, heartbroken Imaginary Friend, has found her way to Foster's. Having been betrayed by her previous owners, she is reluctant to trust anyone. Can a certain tall, one-armed Friend change that?
1. Chapter 1

Soaked to the bone, Nera trudged down the neighborhood sidewalk in the pouring rain, searching for a place to stay for the night. Her lavender skin and hair were filthy, and she doubted the many mud stains on her white basketball uniform would ever come out. The nine-foot imaginary friend had been walking hours upon hours for the past few weeks, searching for a permanent place to stay after her creator had abandoned her. With the lack of food and rest and her aching feet, her energy was dangerously low, and continuing to walk was torture. Nera had to find a place to stay soon, or she would most likely collapse from fatigue.

Nera was created when her creator, Shannon, was only four years old. Little Shannon had always loved flipping through her father's albums, gazing fondly at his old basketball pictures and newspaper articles. Ever since her father first started telling her of his glory days as a college basketball player, she wanted to be just like him. She would snip away at sports magazines, taping action shots of famous players to the light purple walls of her bedroom. However, Shannon's father could not afford to sign her up for basketball lessons, and he was always too busy working to teach her anything. Shannon was distraught, but she did not want to give up. She imagined Nera, a friend who specialized in basketball and would also serve as a mother figure. Nera and Shannon spent hours on the court at the park, playing one-on-one or just shooting for fun.

Although Nera was flawless at basketball, she had one side affect that had inevitably led to her abandonment: she was a major klutz. At the tender age of four, Shannon had not heard very many stories of her mother; the only story she recalled was the time her mother had accidentally tripped and fell forward, tossing a plate of cupcakes into the wall. Shannon took it that her mother was always clumsy, so she made Nera that way, as well. This later became a problem, for Nera often spilled food on rugs that were too expensive to replace and broke dinnerware that had belonged to Shannon's mother. Nera could tell that by the time Shannon was eight, she was becoming as exasperated as her father, and one day, Nera woke to find an empty house.

Nera was heartbroken, and decided to go looking for her family, but to no avail. She now wandered about aimlessly, not knowing where she was going and not particular caring, just so long as she found a place to stay the night.

The silhouette of a huge mansion loomed over a black iron fence, causing Nera to stop for a moment to gaze up at the looming, dark mass that was temporarily illuminated by lightening.

"Perhaps they have enough room to spare," Nera thought as she pushed onwards against the pelting rain and wind.

Nera gathered her strength and jogged up the path towards the mansion. She found refuge from the raging weather on the porch and took a moment to relax. Her knees wobbled out of control and she crumpled to the ground, breathing in gasps. She had to rest, just for a moment. But that was easier said than done. Her eyelids felt like a hundred pounds, and her arm ached as she reached up to knock on the door. She managed a couple of soft knocks, but then let her arm drop. She lost all consciousness; the faint creaking of a door opening was the last sound she heard before falling into deep slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

When Nera awoke, she found herself surprisingly comfortable. Of course, she had no recollection yet of here she was or how she had gotten there, but at the moment, she did not care. Groaning, she rolled over and snuggled further into the soft, cushiony surface she was on, pulling the cloth that covered her further up around her bare shoulders. She was dangling in between sleep and consciousness for a bit, and then her eyes slowly opened. A warm, syrupy smell lingered in the air, reminding her that she had not eaten in days and that she was extremely hungry.

Nera opened her eyes fully and blinked a couple of times, adjusting her eyes to the surroundings. She was in a green and beige room and with striped on the walls, and the blanket that covered her was also green. The black, metal framing of the bunk bed she was in and of the one sitting across the room twisted into crooked, swirled designs, reminding her of something she would see on Halloween; the bed was too short for her, so her feet suck out though the rungs. She sat up in bed and looked around. All her memories came back to her now – the endless walking, the mansion, the front porch, the sound of an opening door – she remembered.

Nera slipped her long legs out of the rungs of the bedpost and swung them over the side of the mattress. She suddenly felt dizzy, so she lay back down and looked over at the clock that sat upon the nightstand beside the bed. It was nine-thirty in the morning. She guessed she had been asleep for at least twelve hours, if not more. A dull rumbling emanated from her stomach. She remembered just how famished she was, so she tried once again to get up. It was easier this time, but she still had to cling to the bunk in order to regain her balance once she stood to her full height. She looked down and noticed her shoes were lying beside the bed, freshly washed. Someone must have sneaked in while she was passed out and cleaned them for her.

"Whoever lives here must be very kind," thought Nera with a smile of relief.

Three knocks were heard on the door, and she turned around just in time to see a young, red-headed woman walk in with a basket of laundry. She wore a purple skirt and a green zip-up hoodie that covered a Powerpuff Girls t-shirt. She had several piercings in her ears and her short hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. A smile lit up her face as she laid eyes on Nera.

"Oh good! You're awake!" the girl said as she set the laundry basket by the door, walking up to Nera with an outstretched hand. "My name's Frankie. Frankie Foster. What's your name?"

"Nera," Nera said timidly as Frankie shook her hand. "Where…where am I?"

Frankie placed one hand on her hip while she raised the other in a welcoming manner. "This is Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, the place where Friends from all over can come when they've been abandoned, neglected, or just need a place to stay! My grandma founded this place years ago, and I'm here as the one and only employee of the place. It can get pretty stressful, but hey, it's home!"

Nera smiled shyly. A place for abandoned Friends to come to stay? This was perfect for Nera…almost too perfect. With luck like hers, it was amazing how she was able to find such a place just when she was on the verge of dying from exhaustion and malnutrition.

Grrrrrr.

Speaking of malnutrition…

The rumbling in Nera's empty stomach was so loud, Frankie took notice right away. Nera blushed and covered her midsection with her lanky arms, embarrassed at the sound. Frankie only smiled and shook her head. "No worries," she said. "I just got finished making pancakes. You can come downstairs and have some if you like!"

Nera smiled sheepishly and nodded. "That would be great, thank you."

"No problem!" Frankie headed for the door. "By the way, I brought some fresh clothes for you to change into. You uniform looks like it needs some tender love and care, so you can drop it by me whenever. See you downstairs!" And with that, Frankie disappeared into the hall, shutting the door behind her.

Nera eyes the clothes basket, then looked down at her filthy jersey and shorts. Perhaps she could use a change of clothes. Nera walked over to the basket and lifted it over to the bed, where she began digging through it. Nothing there really resembled her preferred basketball uniform, but she did find a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that suited her well. After changing, she gathered her old outfit into her arms and headed for the door. She opened it up slowly and peered out into a hallway that seemed to extend forever. Nera stepped outside and looked both ways, trying to decide which way to go to find Frankie.

"I think I remember seeing her go left," Nera thought, turning to her left and walking down the corridor.

She was met by several imaginary friends of all shapes and sizes going their own ways up and down the hall. She marveled at just how many there were, for she had never seen so many in one place. When she lived with Shannon, the two did not venture outside of their home much except for going to the park to play basketball or the occasional hop scotch. A couple gave her a nod and a smile, with the occasional 'hello.' Nera only smiled timidly in return and tried not to make eye contact. Even though Frankie had said that she could stay here, she did not want to get too comfortable. What if her extreme clumsiness got her thrown in the streets again? She did not want to get close to others only to have them torn away. She learned her lesson with Shannon.

As if on cue, she tripped over her own foot and fell face first in the hallway. Her bundle of dirty clothing went flying out in front of her and was now strewn about the corridor. She shakily got to her feet and rubbed her knees, which suffered minor carpet burns and were turning pink.

"Woah! Are you okay?"

The voice make Nera stop cold and begin blushing with embarrassment. She turned slowly to see a tall, red imaginary friend, a bit taller than her, walking briskly towards her, looking concerned. Nera stared up at the unusual friend as he approached. One of his arms was missing and he had one eye that was broken and hanging lazily to the side, making a rattling noise with each hurried step. What really caught Nera's attention was that he had basketball sneakers that were similar to hers and he had a blue number one on his chest that resembled that of a number on a jersey. Was he a basketball player?

"I'm sorry, but that was a nasty fall you took!" The Imaginary stated, kneeling down and scooping up the shirt with his long arm. "Here, let me help."

"Th-thanks," Nera said, continuing to stare at the Friend.

He had gathered all the clothes in no time at all, and they were soon in Nera's arms again. The Friend flashed Nera one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen, causing her eyes to go a bit wide and her cheeks to feel warm. "I'm Wilt, by the way. What's your name?"

"N-Nera," she said, trying hard to avoid his eyes.

"Great name, Nera! Well, I guess I'll see you around then…If that's okay. I've got to go see Mr. Harriman for something."

Nera swallowed. "Y-yeah…sure."

"Great!" And with that, Wilt walked down the hallway and disappeared down a set of stairs. Nera took a deep breath and wiped her forehead. That was awkward. This guy seemed really cool, and now he had just seen her take a face plant in the hallway…over her own feet, too. This was not a very good start to her 'new life' at Foster's.


	3. Chapter 3

Mac hopped up the steps to Foster's, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. Walking up to the front entrance, he adjusted the backpack on his shoulders before yanking open the door. Just as he shut it behind him, Bloo came bounding up to him and tackled him to the ground. Mac normally would have laughed this usual tactic, but this time was different. Instead of going on about all the fun the two of them would have that afternoon and how much more time they would have due to Mac's early dismissal from school, Bloo was in panic. For what reason, Mac did not know, but he was about to find out.

"Oh Mac!" Bloo cried, clinging to Mac's head. "It's awful! Absolutely awful!"

Mac grunted as he pushed Bloo from his body and stood, crossing his arms. "What's awful?"

Bloo fell to the floor as Mac stood, but he made no attempt to get up. He sprawled himself on the rug and lay there in a dramatic, pitiful state, his facial expression one of pure despair. "Oh, Mac, you just have to help me! I-I don't think I can go on after this horrible event that has occurred! I don't even know where to start…!"

Mac rolled his eyes. "Whatever it is, Bloo, I'm sure it won't get in the way of the afternoon of fun we have been planning for the past week and a half…"

The blue, dome-shaped Friend suddenly thrust himself forward and clung to Mac's shoes, looking up with panic-stricken eyes. "No, Mac! We cannot continue with our afternoon until you help me right this terrible wrong! It is VITAL that this is taken care of before it's too late!"

"Alright, alright!" Mac shook his imaginary friend from his shoes and sighed. "Okay, I'll do what I can. What's the problem?"

Bloo smiled up at him sweetly and batted his eyelashes, taking a total emotional turn from his former state. "…Can you help me clean the video game room before Frankie gets home from grocery shopping?"

"Sure, I guess I…Wait, what?"

Bloo stood and clasped his stubby arms together sweetly, shifting his weight back and forth in an innocent manner. "Well, I was playing for a new high score in Racing World Cup Championship, and I was this close," Bloo held up one stub as if showing a small distance between two fingers, "to reaching it when…"

Mac narrowed his eyes. "Yes?"

Bloo shrugged indifferently. "Long story short…Eduardo disrupted the game, which made me make a wrong turn, which made me lose, which caused me to throw the control at Ed, which instead hit a shelf, which fell onto a DVD stand, which tipped over and spilled DVDs all over the floor, which made one of them fly through the air and smash into the TV…" Bloo sported a wide, toothy grin and batted his eyelashes once more.

Pure disgust boiled in Mac's eyes, causing Bloo to laugh nervously. Before Mac could scold Bloo for his ignorance, a loud thud was heard from up the stairs. Mac and Bloo both whirled around to see an Imaginary Friend roll down the stairs and come to a stop at the first landing. She groaned in pain and sat up, rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh my gosh!" Mac ran away from Bloo and up the stairs to the, who was now searching around for something on the floor and the stairs behind her. "Are you okay?"

The Friend stood to her full height, towering over Mac's eight-year-old form. She walked over to the stairs and picked up a couple of clothing items that were strung on the first couple of steps. She gathered them in her arms and pushed past Mac, walking down the stairs briskly with a rising blush in her lavender cheeks. Mac looked on as Bloo came up behind him, raising an eyebrow.

"What's with her?" Bloo enquired.

"Not sure," Mac said. "Maybe she's shy?"

Bloo shrugged. "I guess so. She just came in this morning, so she's bound to have social issues her first day."

Mac turned and glared at Bloo. "Speaking of issues…"

Bloo stared at Mac a moment, then dropped to his knees.

"Please, Mac!" Bloo said, groveling at his creator's feet. "You have to help me! If Frankie sees the TV room, she'll kill me!"

Mac crossed his arms and held his head high. "That's not my problem; you need to learn your own lessons. I'm not always gonna be here to bail you out."

Bloo smiled slyly, then continued. "But Mac, if Frankie sees that you're here too, she'll think that it was the both of us that messed up the TV room…you wouldn't want Dear Frankie to be upset with you, would you, Mac?"

Mac was silent for a moment, then sighed in an exasperated manner, dropping his arms. "Fine…but only because of Frankie."

Bloo hopped up and danced around. "Oh, thank you, thank you, THANK you, Mac! With your help we'll have the place cleaned up in no time!" And with that, Bloo bounded up the stairs. Mac rolled his eyes and trudged up after him, not looking forward to the scene that awaited him.

Nera continued to pace herself. What an embarrassing moment! She did not even have a shoelace to trip over this time, but she plummeted head-first down the stairs, anyway. It was a good thing Shannon imagined her with highly elastic skin and limbs.

Shannon…

Nera slowed her pace as the sadness cam flowing back into her soul. Foster's was a magnificent place full of seemingly nice people, but it could never compare to how safe she felt in Shannon's arms. Nera felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she continued walking towards what she hoped would be the laundry room, trying not to make eye contact with any other Imaginaries that happened to pass her.

"Hey, Nera!"

A familiar voice. Nera turned to see Wilt walking towards her, his abnormally huge smile sending the corners of her mouth twitching. What was it that was so contagious about that smile? Nera just stared as he approached her, trying not to show any emotions.

"I see you've got some new clothes!" he said, eyeing her attire.

Nera nodded and let her smile show. "Yeah…Frankie gave them to me to wear while by other clothes were being washed…"

Wilt's eyes moved down to the clothes that were in her arms. "I'm sorry, but are you looking for the laundry room, or something?"

Nera nodded sheepishly. She probably looked like a fool wandering about in search of a place that she did not know the location of in the first place. But she was much too shy to ask anyone for directions. A couple of Imaginaries had asked if she needed help with something, but she only shook her head and walked on.

"Well, here," Wilt said, gently taking the bundle from her arms. "Allow me. I know exactly where the laundry room is; I'm there all the time!"

Nera raised her eyebrows. "Oh, uh…thanks."

"No problem!" Wilt began walking, and Nera followed a few feet behind him, watching as he made sharp turns here and there as if he knew the place by heart. Nera did not know how long Wilt had lived in the house, but she assumed it had been long enough for him to know where he was going. She stifled a giggle when they began walking on linoleum, and Wilt's shoes began to squeak. Her sneakers did that, too, when she did not walk on carpet.

They soon reached the laundry room, and Wilt tossed her uniform into an empty washer. He grabbed some detergent and poured a cup of it into the wash, closed the door, and pressed the button. Flashes of white, blue, and green were seen swirling rapidly around in the sudsy water, making Nera feel dizzy after watching only a few moments.

"They should be ready in about thirty minutes," Wilt said as he began walking from the room. Nera continued to follow him at a short distance. "What would you like to do now?"

Nera looked around as they walked. The hallways in this place seemed endless. She could not see how Wilt could navigate so easily around this vast place. Nera clasped her hands behind her back and looked down at her feet, watching each step she took. "Well, I…I wouldn't mind a tour."

Wilt stopped in his tracks abruptly and turned around. His face lit up. "A tour? Great idea! I'm sorry I didn't think of that before! I love giving tours to new Friends!"

Wilt opened a door to his left and held it open, beckoning Nera with his stubble of an arm. "Follow me!"


	4. Chapter 4

As Nera followed Wilt on the tour of Foster's, she mostly paid attention to him rather than to the tour. Of course it was hard not to stare at his wonky eye and stubby arm, but it was nice just to listen to him. He had a very kind, happy voice that made one feel welcome and cared for. She enjoyed how he talked to her as if she were his long-time friend, even though they had only met that day. Nera grew very fond of Wilt during the tour, and began talking more and smiling a little – that is, not during the times when her clumsiness would send her back into emotional hiding. Nera would either trip or bump into something every few minutes during the tour. At one point, she tripped and fell into a table, knocking over a vase that had sat on it. Wilt acted quickly and caught it before it hit the ground and assured Nera that no harm was done, but Nera was left once again silent and sober, walking with her eyes to the ground and her arms hugging her sides. Just when she began to feel comfortable, one of her small disasters would ruin everything.

"So…Wilt," she spoke at last after a long silence, "How long have you lived here...if you don't mind me asking."

Wilt rubbed his chin in thought. "Oh, it's no problem. I'd say I've been here about…twenty-five years – going on twenty-six."

"Dang," Nera thought as she nodded in response. "He really has been here a long time!"

Wilt opened another door to the right and held it open for Nera. "So, Nera, where do you come from…if it's okay that I ask?"

Nera crossed her arms and looked off to the side, her face beginning to flush and tears welling in her eyes. "I…I'd rather not talk about it." She walked through the doorway.

Wilt followed quickly and lowered his head apologetically. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject! I was just…"

Nera held up her hand. "No, no, it's okay. I just need time, that's all."

Wilt rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, if you say so…sorry."

"It's fine." Why was Wilt always apologizing? Nothing was his fault. In fact, Nera could not imagine him ever doing anything that needed apology. If anyone needed to be sorry for something, it was she, who would probably end up doing damage to every room she enters in the house. So far, she noticed that she really had not tripped as much as normal; perhaps it was because Wilt was keeping her occupied with the tour. Nera was not sure; all she was worried about was being careful to not get kicked out of the house because of her unsteady nature.

Wilt motioned to a door. "And this…" He turned the knob and opened the door, "is the…"

He was stopped short. They were met by a scene of complete chaos. Games and DVDs were scattered everywhere, and the room had overturned furniture galore. Mac stood frozen in the middle of the room, his arms full of disks that had fallen. He looked embarrassed by the two imaginaries that now stood gaping in the doorway.

"Uh…" Mac said, glancing around nervously. Bloo was on the other side of the room, stretching up as far as he could to try and replace items back onto a shelf, which hung as an odd angle. It suddenly teetered, and the items Bloo had managed to set upright came crashing down once more. Bloo huffed in frustration and kicked a game control, only to end up hopping up and down, holding his 'foot' in pain. Mac grinned sheepishly up at Wilt, who only shook his head.

"I'm sorry, guys," he said, stepping into the room, "but this is definitely not okay. When Frankie sees this…"

"She doesn't have to see it!" Bloo cried, limping as fast as he could over to Wilt. "Please help us, Wilt! You're good at cleaning!" Bloo dropped to his knees and pleaded. "PLEASE?"

Wilt looked at Nera, then back at the boys. "But I…"

"Oh yeah…She can help, too, if she wants," Bloo said.

"Bloo, I'm not gonna force our new arrival to…"

"But Wilt!" Bloo whined. "We NEED you!"

Wilt sighed, then looked sadly at Nera. "I'm sorry, Nera, but I can't say no to them. You understand, right?"

Nera nodded and managed a smile. "Sure. I'll just…I'll wait outside."

Wilt smiled. "Thanks, Nera. Sorry about this."

For the next twenty minutes or so, Wilt and the boys tidied up the game room, placing everything back where it was and putting a blanket over the TV to hide the crack. Wilt and Mac argued against Bloo that they should just tell Frankie that the TV got a crack, but Bloo said that it would be the death of him if Frankie knew. Nera stood, watching the whole thing. It was amusing to see the boys and how they interacted. It was funny how they seemed so different – Mac a sweet, good-hearted boy and Bloo, a lazy, somewhat pompous imaginary friend. Nera had guessed that Bloo must be Mac's imaginary friend from the start, but she had trouble believing her judgment due to their differences. She wondered what Wilt's creator must be like…

"Alright, boys," Wilt said, walking towards the door. "I'll leave you two to discuss the matter. I have to finish giving Nera the grand tour…I'm sorry, but have I introduced you yet?"

"No," Bloo said. "But we did meet her when she fell down the stairs and ran away from us."

"Bloo!" Mac yelled.

"Well it's true!"

Wilt shook his head, then put and arm around Nera. Nera flinched at this contact, but did not push away. "Well, this is out new friend, Nera."

"Nice to meet you Nera," Mac said, extending his small hand. Nera took it shyly and let him shake it. "I'm Mac, and this is my imaginary friend, Bloo."

Bloo threw Nera a haughty glance. "Charmed." Mac and Wilt both rolled their eyes.

"Well, shall we go?" Wilt released his arm from Nera's shoulders and walked into the hall.

Nera looked after him. "Y-yes…sure."

"Great!" Wilt said, starting down the hall.

"Nice to meet you, Nera!" Mac called after her as she exited.

"Y-you too." As Nera followed Wilt, she touched her left shoulder, the one that was touched by Wilt hand. She had felt and odd tingling sensation when he had put his arm around her. It was not unpleasant in the least, and yet it sent a small shiver up her spine. What was it? The feeling was almost…warm. It felt very caring, a feeling Nera never thought she would feel again after…

Nera shook her head. No, she would not let herself think that she would even begin to care about another being again, let alone someone who may even like her, as well. She just needed a place to stay, that was all - No friends, no cold, foodless nights…no unhappy memories.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the tour passed with Nera in complete silence. Wilt tried to strike up conversation a couple of times, but Nera would only shrug or give a short, quiet answer to questions. Mostly, Nera was focused on her surroundings, making certain she did not trip over anything again; she did not want to embarrass herself again. Wilt introduced her to every Friend they came upon, but she was not open to any of them. Her trust, however small it was, seemed to rest in Wilt and Wilt alone. Not that Wilt particularly minded this – in fact, he took pride in the fact – but he felt bad for Nera's shyness and wished to help her become more open and make more friends.

Coco, upon their meeting, had evidently taken notice of Nera's uncertainty and laid an egg especially for her. Nera looked confused when Coco nudged the colorful plastic egg towards her. This cross between a bird, a plane, and a plant, whose speech Nera could not even come close to comprehending, expected her to open up a giant, plastic Easter egg – it was not even Easter! Wilt took notice of the confusion.

"It's okay, Nera," Wilt said reassuringly. "It's a gift! Coco's eggs contain prizes of all sorts. Let's see what you got!"

Slowly, Nera picked up the egg. Giving one last uneasy glance at Wilt, then at Coco, she twisted open the egg, and a brand new basketball fell to the floor, bouncing steadily. Nera stared at the ball for a moment, then immediately reached out and grabbed it in her hands before it bounced away. She had never seen a basketball so new before; the ones she played with were old and patched up, the bounce almost completely gone. This one, however, was like a breath of fresh air, being a bright orange and as aired up as a basketball could get without bursting.

"Hey, would you look at that!" Wilt exclaimed, placing his hand on his hip and smiling.

Nera's eyes went wide as she looked down at the gift in her hands, and she glanced up at Wilt, confusion and a bit of worry in her eyes. How had Coco known she loved basketball? Wilt took the hint and patted Nera's shoulder, making her flinch slightly. "Don't sweat it; we've all wondered about Coco's eggs, but some things are better left unsaid, I guess!"

Nera looked at Coco and managed a small smile of thanks before immediately looking down at the ground, hugging the ball to her chest.

Coco cocked her head and looked at Wilt questioningly. "Coco?"

Wilt shrugged, then led Nera out of the room to continue with the tour, waving to Coco as they left.

More time passed before Wilt decided to use Nera's new ball as a conversation piece. "So…do you play basketball?"

Nera glanced at Wilt, then back down. "I-I used to…"

"You mean you don't play anymore?"

Nera shrugged. "I…I just haven't really, you know…had anyone to play with…"

Wilt's face lit up at the comment. "Well, I'll play basketball with you! You know…if that's okay."

Nera hesitated, then said. "Oh, n-no, it's fine. You don't have too…"

Wilt stopped and stepped in front of Nera. "But I insist! I'm sorry, but I love basketball, and I bet we'd have tons of fun! What do you say?"

Nera forced herself to meet Wilt's beaming eye, which seemed to be begging her to accept his invitation. Nera swallowed hard and looked back down at her ball. Despite not wanting to grow attached to anyone in the house, Nera had grown to like Wilt to a certain extent in the day that she had known him. He was probably the kindest person she had ever encountered, and he had a positive attitude that was almost contagious, for even though Nera was still in emotional pain, he had been able to make her smile, if only a little. He evidently loved basketball as much as she did, and it had been weeks since she last played. It was just that the game reminded her so much of Shannon, she did not think she could handle it…

Finally, Nera took a deep breath, then exhaled. "…Alright."

"Great!" Wilt exclaimed, giddy with excitement. "Follow me! We can finish the tour some other time!" And with that, Wilt took off at a brisk walking pace down the hall. Nera stood in shock for a moment, then hurried off after him, not wanting to be left alone.

They arrived in the large, open backyard of Foster's, where a basketball court sat off to one side. Wilt led Nera over to the court. This court was much nicer than the one at the park she used to play at with…

Nera mentally kicked herself. She was not going to think about…her. Not now. Hopefully, not ever again.

"Alright," Wilt said. "Would you like to shoot first or block first? Your choice."

Nera looked at Wilt, then at the basket, then back to Wilt, squeezing the ball close to her body. She stood there awkwardly, not sure of what to do. "I-I'm not sure…"

"Well, here," Wilt said, stepping aside. "Why don't we just do a few free-throws first? That way you can get warmed up! Is that okay?"

Nera nodded, then shuffled forward. Once in line with the net, she took a deep breath, then aimed and threw, screwing her eyes shut. The ball swished perfectly through the net, bouncing back towards Nera as it hit the ground. Nera stooped over and picked up the ball, looking over to see a very impressed Wilt.

"Wow, Nera!" he said. "You've got skills! How about another?"

Nera smiled at his comment. She felt some of her sadness drain out of her, so she went ahead and took aim again, making another perfect shot. Wilt praised her again, then walked over. "You're good! Feelin' ready for a one-on-one yet? Or do you need more time?"

Nera looked at the net. Nothing had felt this good in a long time; she actually felt a little bit of joy at the moment. Basketball had always been something that seemed to eliminate her clumsiness. It was almost surreal at how quickly two baskets had turned her mood around. "I think I'm ready." Her voice took on a more confident tone as she handed the ball to Wilt. "If you don't mind…I think I'll block first."

"Sure!" Wilt stepped back with the ball, taking a ready stance with the ball secure in his hand. "Ready?"

Nera stood in Wilt's path in front of the net, knees bent and eyes concentrated on the ball. "Ready."

Wilt began dribbling, keeping his eye fixed on Nera. He swiftly moved right, then left, taking a zig-zagged path forward. Nera followed his every move, pivoted every direction Wilt took, keeping her eyes locked on the bouncing basketball. When Wilt thought he was close enough, he made a giant leap for the basket, his tongue hanging from the side of his mouth in concentration, a habit Nera found rather funny. Before Wilt could send the ball hurdling through the net, a lavender hand came from nowhere and smacked the ball from Wilt's grip. The ball hit the pavement, then within a second was bouncing back and forth between the pavement and Nera's hand. Wilt gaped at Nera, who was on the other side of the court in an instant, dunking the ball through the net. She retrieved it after it hit the ground, and then she turned around, shying away at the look on Wilt's face.

"Wow!" Wilt said. "I'm sorry, but that an amazing block! I thought I'd cleared you for sure!"

Nera blushed at the compliment. "It was nothing…just a simple trick, that's all."

"Well, that's a 'simple trick' you'll have to teach me sometime," Wilt said with enthusiasm. Nera blushed profusely and averted her gaze. What was she embarrassed about? All he did was compliment her. Perhaps she just was not used to excessive praise from others…

"What would you say to keeping score this time?" Wilt said, walking over. "Say, first one to five points wins?"

Nera smiled larger than she had in a long time. "You're on."


	6. Chapter 6

For the next couple of hours, Wilt and Nera engaged in several one-on-one games of basketball. Sometimes Wilt won, sometimes Nera, but each game was close, the winner winning by only one point. It seemed their skills were evenly matched, but neither of them minded. As late morning turned to afternoon, Nera felt her cheeks hurting. At first, she did not know what the problem could have been, until she realized that she had been smiling the entire time they were outside. She could not remember ever smiling that much, and the aching in her cheeks did not seem so bad after all once she realized the cause. The happiness caused by Wilt had almost surpassed the joy Nera used to feel when playing with Shannon.

Shannon…

Nera was shocked to think that even thinking about the name did not hurt anymore. Yes, the memories were still somewhat painful when they managed to flood back into her mind, but Nera found that thinking of Wilt as a friend healed her in a way, making her forget the loneliness and bask in the present moment. Why did she ever think of refusing friendship? Nera had feared friendship would be her downfall again, but it proved to be the opposite.

Wilt also felt the strong urge to smile continuously. Nera was finally acting happy, and that filled his heart with joy. She was even egging him on at times during the games, teasing him with the ball by acting like she was going to shoot, then dodging quickly to the side and avoiding Wilt's arm with ease. She even laughed aloud a couple of times – music to Wilt's non-existent ears. She had a hidden spunk to her that rarely showed. She was still a shy creature, one who blushed at the smallest compliment from him, but one with a big heart and an even bigger love for a sport in which Wilt loved, as well.

At one point, when the shadows on the ground became longer and the sweat on their brows more plentiful, Nera found herself at the ready in front of her net once again, guarding it against Wilt as he advanced towards her, his eyes fixed ahead in concentration, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his rosy face. One side of Nera's mouth turned up in a playful smirk as Wilt came closer. She knew she had him this time. This block would win her the game, for they were tied at the moment. This would also put her ahead in the number of games each Friend had won altogether.

As Wilt made his jump for the net, so did Nera. Time seemed to go in slow motion as both focused on their priorities – Wilt needed to make the basket, and Nera had to stop him from doing so, as was all the other matches. But this time, the trajectory was off, and the two ended up colliding, a loud Oof! emanating from their mouths as the ball flew from Wilt's hand.

Wilt landed hard first, then Nera on top of him. They both laid there for a minute before collecting their senses and raising their heads. They froze immediately, realizing their faces were so close, in fact, that one could most likely feel the other's breath – that is, if they were breathing at all. Both had stopped breathing when realizing the close proximity. Nera blushed profusely, and her face only became increasingly warmer as Wilt managed a nervous smile. Clearing his throat, he said, "Um, I'm sorry, but…I think we should get up."

Nera shook herself out of her state of shock before laughing nervously and standing to her feet, offering Wilt her hand. He gladly took it and was pulled to his feet. The air took on a feel of awkwardness, both Friends trying hard not to look uncomfortable. Finally, Wilt cleared his throat.

"Well, uh," he began, "I think that's enough basketball for one day. Perhaps we should go inside?"

Nera rubbed her right arm with her left hand, eyeing the ground nervously. "Uh…sure."

"Okay, I'll get the…" Wilt stopped, looking around for the ball that had flown from his grasp. "Hey, where is…"

He looked up at the net, and Nera followed his gaze. The ball had flown straight for the net, but it had wedged itself in the back rim, not going through the net nor falling to the ground. Wilt and Nera looked at eachother, then burst out laughing.

"I guess we'd better call it even then," Wilt chuckled as he reached up for the ball.

"Yeah," Nera said with another laugh.

The uncomfortable moment had passed, and the Friends brushed themselves off and made their way back to the house. Nera glanced over at Wilt, not moving her head so that he would not notice. That moment they collided…she was not sure, but she noticed something there that was familiar, as if it had happened before. It was close to the same sensation that came of him touching her shoulder earlier, or even him grabbing her hand just a few moments ago as she helped him to his feet. Nera did not know what it was about Wilt that caused her insides and face to go warm. Was she just not used to such kindness? Another thought crossed Nera's mind: Could it be a crush? This made Nera worry; a crush, even a little one, was the one thing she had dreaded even more than growing too attached to a friend. Nera tried to relax and not panic. At most, it was probably a small crush, and it would pass. She and Wilt were only friends. Maybe, thought Nera, a good rest was what she needed, to clear her thoughts.

It was after dinner, and Nera had already retired to her room. Wilt was still downstairs, helping Frankie do dishes and clear the table. Although Wilt did this every night and had no trouble doing his job without even thinking, he was distracted. Something about the incident on the basketball court that afternoon got the gears in his head turning. He thought more and more about his feelings towards Nera, and was altogether confused about the emotions that swirled about inside his skull. When he had first gotten to talk to her, he thought of her as a lost child, in need of a friend. After getting to know more about her, however, he decided that she really was someone that he could really bond with and form a great friendship.

That changed, however, after their collision. With any other friend, it would not have been a big deal; Wilt would have laughed it off and went on playing. But this…this had been different. Nera had seemed not only surprised, but utterly embarrassed; she was blushing profusely, but for some reason, she did not stand up immediately as most might do when in an embarrassing situation such as this. The look in her eyes was…well, different. That was the only way Wilt could describe it. He himself was effected by Nera's unusual response, and he felt butterflies in his own stomach when he realized just how pretty she looked up close…

Wilt nearly slipped on a wet patch of floor in the kitchen in the midst of his thoughts. Snapping to attention, he saved a plate from the stack of dishes in his hand from crashing to the linoleum floor. Frankie watched the slip in horror and sighed with relief as the plate was set securely back onto the pile with the others. Walking over, she shifted half of Wilt's armful into her own hands, walking carefully to the sink.

"Boy, I'm glad I've got someone like you around, Wilt," Frankie said, dropping the dishes into the soapy water. "I know I've said it a million times, but I really appreciate your help."

"Oh, it's nothing!" Wilt replied cheerily, walking up beside her and setting his share of dishes on the counter. "And sorry about that slip…I should really pay more attention!"

"Naw, it's no biggie! At least you were able to catch it in time!" Frankie began scrubbing away at a bowl with her sponge. "Say Wilt…you seemed a little distant tonight. Everything okay?"

"Oh yeah!" Wilt said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Everything's totally okay! Today was great!"

Frankie smiled. "Well, if you say so. How'd your time with Nera go?"

Wilt swallowed a lump that formed in his throat. "Uh, well…we played a few games of basketball, and…she seems to be getting along pretty well. She already knows the way back to her room without hardly any help from me!"

"Good!" Frankie said, putting the now clean bowl aside and starting on a plate. "Well, keep me updated. Not sure when I'll get the chance to check up on her with all the extra work Herriman as given me this week." Frankie wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, making Wilt chuckle.

"I'm sorry Frankie. I'll be sure to keep you posted. Need any more help?"

"No, that's fine Wilt; you've done enough for me today," Frankie said as she put down the plate. "Why don't you go find Bloo? He's been complaining about being bored a lot more than usual today. Maybe you can cheer him up!"

"Okay!" Wilt gave a thumbs up before walking out of the kitchen, ducking his head as usual when walking through the doorway. Not knowing where Bloo was at the moment, Wilt turned left and began walking down the hall, planning to visit the game room first. His head became clouded again with thoughts about Nera; he wondered what she was thinking about after they came inside from the court. Wilt noticed she seemed a bit spacey at dinner, but that was about it. Perhaps tomorrow would be different, and they could start off on a better foot.


	7. Chapter 7

As both Wilt and Nera had hoped, the next day was better, and the following two weeks followed suit. The awkwardness between them still lingered, but it was slowly melting away as time went on. They played with eachother on the court daily, eventually having Mac and some of the other friends join them. Nera got to know all of them very well, and decided that she really did like them, and she was no longer shy around them. Yes, she was still a quiet Imaginary, who did not strike up conversation with just anyone, but now that she had people to spend time with, she was altogether happier than she was before. Nera would still have her trips and stumbles, but Wilt was there most of the time to catch her by the arm or stop her fall in one way or another. The help was appreciated, but the fluttering in her stomach would not subside, so matter how cool she made herself look when she found herself leaning against Wilt for support.

In fact, Nera noticed that by the end of the first two weeks, her falls were happening less and less, and she did not have to rely on Wilt quite so much. It was miraculous, in the least, and Nera was overjoyed that she was no longer such a bother. But at the same time, she had an incessant feeling of sadness that gnawed at the back of her mind. Deep down, she had enjoyed he times when Wilt had caught her when she tripped; she liked the safe feeling that welled up inside whenever she came in contact with him, or whenever she felt his single arm securely wrap around her shoulders. It was the best feeling she could ever imagine, even though she could not explain why.

She thought about talking to Wilt about these strange sensations, but then the very thought caused her to mentally kick herself and scold such a foolish notion. What if Wilt found her odd for liking him as much as she did? He probably only saw her as a good friend and nothing more, whereas she had begun to see him as more…

Another full month had passed before the awkward situations of the past were completely forgotten, and Wilt and Nera were enjoying the company of one another just as they had their first time playing basketball. Nera continued to hide her feelings for the tall athlete Friend, fearing a break in their friendship. Little did she know, Wilt was having an internal struggle of his own; he, too, had lingering emotions that he only had when he was around Nera.

Wilt began stealing glances at Nera, sometimes even staring at her without noticing. Luckily, he was able to shake himself out of his trance before anyone noticed…most of the time. One day, Bloo was helping set the table for lunch, a job that he was always trying to sweet-talk his way out of. Grumbling, he leaned over to retrieve a spoon he had dropped and looked around to make sure no one noticed. That was when he caught sight of Wilt, staring into space while the glass in his hand was frozen above the spot on the table in which he was about to set it.

Raising an eyebrow, Bloo followed his friend's gaze and noticed that Nera was just walking into the room, twirling her new basketball on the tip of one finger – she had not let it out of her sight since receiving it. Nera looked up and noticed Wilt, who quickly snapped out of his daze and averted his gaze toward the cup, which he swiftly set on the table as if nothing had happened. Nera smiled shyly, then continued on her way into the next hallway. From where Bloo was standing, he could have sworn he saw a pink blush rise in Wilt's face. It was hard to tell from Wilt's already rosy colored flesh, but at the same time, Bloo found it unmistakable that something was going on between his long-legged friend and his equally tall female companion, and he intended to find out exactly what was going on.

Grinning mischievously, but keeping a cool air about himself, he glided over to where Wilt was just finishing setting the table.

"So, Wilt…"

Wilt acknowledged Bloo, flashing one of his signature smiles. "What's up, Bloo?"

Bloo pretended to examine his nonexistent fingernails, leaning up against a chair. "Oh, same old, same old." He stood up straight and placed a stub on his hip. "Listen, I just wanted to say that I think it's just great that you and Nera have so much in common and are becoming great pals…"

"Well, thanks Bl…"

"BUT," Bloo interrupted, "I can't help but notice something…ODD."

Wilt cocked his head, will wonked eye rattling as he did so. "What's that?"

Bloo rubbed his chin and squinted in feigned thought. "You see, Wilt, I couldn't help but notice you looking at her about a minute ago…"

Wilt laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Heh heh, well, you see, about that…"

"…and when she looked at you, you acted as if you HADN'T been staring at her. You blush, she smiles…I think you get what I'm leading up to here."

Wilts eyes glazed over a bit. "She…smiled at me?" A small, dreamy grin crept its way up his face. Bloo snapped his fingers and Wilt shook himself out of his trance, a small amount of pink rising to his face again. "Oh, right…she smiled. S-so what?"

Bloo shook his head. "Just as I thought…you're in love with Nera, aren't you?"

Wilt began to panic and held up his hands in defense. "N-no, of course not! We're just friends! That's it!"

"You don't have to deny it, Wilt," Bloo said, smiling in a sly manner. "It really is quite obvious that you have feelings for her, but don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Wilt crossed his arms and shook his head. "Bloo, this is ridiculous. I don't have feelings for Nera."

Bloo narrowed his eyes, then flung his arm in the direction of the hallway. "Hey, look! It's Nera!"

"WHERE?" Wilt swung his head around eagerly, almost knocking his arm into a vase on the table next to him. When he realized that he had been tricked, he looked sheepishly down at Bloo's smug face and sighed in defeat. "Alright…you caught me. But Bloo, please, I don't want anyone to know! Can I trust you?"

Bloo nodded and made a zipping motion over his lips and threw and imaginary key over his shoulder. "Your secret is safe with me."


	8. Chapter 8

"Wilt's in loooove!" Bloo sang out as he tackled Mac for the umpteenth time.

"What?" Mac said as he pushed Bloo off and stood, adjusting his backpack straps in the process.

"Yup," Bloo exclaimed with triumph. "Wilt's head over heels for the new girl. He even told me so himself!"

"Aaaand I should care, why?"

Bloo trailed behind Mac as he retreated into the living room, knowing well that Bloo was most likely going to involve him in another one of his schemes, this time involving the love life of a resident at Foster's. Last time Bloo tried to play matchmaker, he nearly tore the house apart…literally. Friends were sent into panic mode, an Extremosaurus was almost set free, Mac got a hold of sugar…the results can be easily guessed. Mac wanted no part of it.

"But Mac!" Bloo whined, throwing himself at his creator's feet. "This is important! Don't you want Wilt to be happy?"

"Yes," Mac said, hopping up onto the couch and reaching for the remote. "But Wilt can handle himself; we don't need to go messing with his personal life and trying to push him somewhere he doesn't want to go."

Bloo sat next to Mac and looked at him pleadingly. "But, Mac, you haven't seen them! They're both obviously hooked on eachother, but they're both too shy to show it! Don't you think we ought to do them a favor?"

Mac rolled his eyes. "Look, Bloo, I'm glad you took an interest in someone other than yourself for once, but I think it would be better to just let Wilt and Nera come together on their own…I think everyone would be a lot happier that way, don't you?" Mac offered the remote to Bloo. "Here, let's just watch some TV. You can pick this time."

Bloo crossed his arms and pouted, refusing the remote. He did not see how the entire house could be affected by him giving Wilt a friendly nudge towards happiness with a girl, and he did not see anything from with lending a hand in the matter in general.

"Pff, I don't need _you_," Bloo huffed, stomping away and stopping at the doorway for dramatic effect, "I'll take matters into my own…" he glanced at the ends of his arms. "… stubs. You'll only _wish _that you could have been a part of the magic I'm about to work in the lives of two destined souls! _Just wait_." And with that, he stormed away.

Mac shook his head and flipped to a different channel. "What am I going to do with him?"

Wilt and Nera were walking together throughout the halls of Foster's. It had begun raining that afternoon, so playing basketball on the outside court like usual was out of the question unless they wanted to catch cold. The two Imaginaries were engaged in conversation, telling jokes and relaying stories about their own lives to pass the time until the rain stopped. Little did they know that a small, blue blob was darting to and fro between furniture, hiding behind corners and secretly following the Friends.

"So Wilt," Nera said, "What was…what was your creator like?"

Wilt smiled warmly. "Oh, he's a great guy! Huge basketball star, too."

"Really?" Nera enquired. "What's his name?"

"Jordan Michaels," Wilt stated proudly.

Nera stopped in her tracks so fast that she nearly fell over. "You were created by Jordan Michaels?" she gasped excitedly, "He's, like, my favorite player of all time!"

Wilt chuckled at her sudden enthusiasm. "Well, I'll have to introduce you two sometime." Wilt winked and eyelid.

Nera was too startled by Wilt's statement to even blush at Wilt's affectionate action. "You…you mean you still talk to him? You two are still…friends?"

Wilt nodded. "Yeah, only since a few months ago, though. When I first came here to Foster's it was because I thought I had failed him by losing a basketball game from years ago, and I thought he had abandoned me. I later figured out that he had actually been looking for me all these years, and we reconnected when I had tried to win a rematch of the game I had lost…it was pretty incredible!"

Nera managed a small smile. "T-that's great." She hung her head and her eyes glazed over. She imagined Sharon's face briefly before feeling a hand on her shoulder.

"Nera," Wilt said gently. "I'm sorry, but Is something wrong?"

Nera shook her head and wiped at her eyes. "No no, I-I'm fine…let's just change the subject, please?"

"Sure!" Wilt though for a moment, then said. "What was your creator like?"

Nera's stomach suddenly felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, and her heart leaped to her throat. She tried to remain calm and look Wilt in the eye, but she could not do so without her lip beginning to quiver. Instead, she rubbed both arms with her hands and let out a shaky sigh.

"Please," she said quietly, almost too quiet to hear. "I…I don't want to talk about her."

Wilt's eyes widened and guilt washed over him. "I-I'm sorry Nera. I…didn't know. I was just…"

Nera sniffed, biting her lower lip to stifle a sob. She could not let Wilt see her like this – not now, not over a subject such as this. "It's…okay, Wilt…you didn't…didn't…"

Tears blurred her vision as talking became more and more difficult. She had been so happy the past couple weeks - so sure that her past life would never come up in conversation and that she could forget and move on. But all the pain and sorrow that she had continuously blocked out in order to do so had come rushing back in an instant, her heart now unguarded to the sheer feeling of loss that now enveloped it; it seemed to drown out any happiness that she had gotten from her new home.

Nera suddenly felt an arm wrap around her trembling form. She looked up and saw Wilt, a look of pure sympathy in his good eye and a small smile of comfort on his odd-shaped face. That did it for Nera. She threw her arms around his thin form and sobbed into his shoulder. He staggered a bit at the impact, but he tightened his grip around her as the tears poured.

"It's gonna be okay, Nera," he said softly. "I promise."

From just around the corner, Bloo was observing the scene, his eyebrows rising a little at what he saw.

"Huh," he said to himself, "Guess this will be easier than I thought."


	9. Chapter 9

It seemed that every attempt Bloo made to bring Wilt and Nera together was in vain.

Well, to a certain extent.

That same day, on one of the pair's daily trips to the basketball court in the back yard, Bloo followed them, slipping unseen from bush to bush and hiding behind very corner possible. His eyes narrowed, he whipped his head around regularly so as to make sure he was not noticed. He finally dove beneath a bench that was near the playground area, a few yards away from the basketball court. Revealing a pair of binoculars, Bloo focused in on Nera, who leapt for the basket and make a perfect dunk. Wilt cheered her on and complimented her, causing a bit of pink to arise in her cheeks and a grin to plaster itself onto her face.

"Hmmm…" Bloo zeroed in on Nera's feet, which were prone to trip over eachother and cause mishaps on Nera's part, besides when she played basketball. Bloo took out a sling shot, armed with a single bar of soap he had swiped from Eduardo's bathroom. Bloo was unsure if soap was as slippery on pavement as it was on tile, but he was going to try anyways. The plan was to make Nera slip, hopefully crashing into Wilt in the process and opening the opportunity for romance to blossom from the sudden and close contact. Bloo grinned, proud of his plan that he had only come up with after watching too many cheesy action cartoons on television.

He held the soap within the flimsy rubber of the slingshot, pulling it back past his head and narrowing his eyes. Nera had taken a moment to stand still, thankfully, as the ball had bounced into the bushes. Wilt insisted on retrieving it, leaving Nera to wait and try not to stare while his back was turned.

Bloo licked his lips in concentration, a single bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. He had but one chance.

"Bloo, what are you doing?"

With a yelp of surprise, Bloo jumped, losing his grip on the rubber band and sending the soap flying forward. He whipped his head around and stared bug-eyed at Mac, who had his arms crossed and his eyebrow cocked. Bloo stood agape for a moment before turning his attention to the soap, which was currently whizzing through the air…towards Wilt.

"Ow!" The soap hit Wilt square in the face just as he turned around. The ball dropped from his hand and bounced in place near his feet before coming to a complete halt.

Bloo covered his eyes with his stubs, groaning in anguish at his failure.

"Wilt!"

The blue Imaginary opened one eye.

Nera was immediately at Wilt's side. Wilt was rubbing the impact point on his left cheek, staring down at the bar of soap with a puzzled expression.

"Geez," Wilt exclaimed, "Where did _that_ come from?"

"Are you okay?" Nera inquired, touching Wilt's arm and disregarding her shyness for the sake of Wilt's well-being. Wilt looked down at Nera's hand, touching his arm. He then looked at Nera, her large, dark eyes laced with concern. Wilt could not help but notice how exceptionally pretty she looked when her face wasn't downcast.

Smiling, Wilt kneeled down to pick up the basketball. "I'm fine…here." He held out the ball. "It's your turn to shoot."

Nera took her hand from Wilt's arm and took hold of the ball, her hands brushing his in the action. Nera smiled up at Wilt, who beamed back just as brightly. The projectile soap was long forgotten as their eyes locked, any awkward feelings of shyness or discomfort forgotten for a moment in time.

Bloo and Mac watched the scene from afar. Mac turned to Bloo, whose hands had slipped from his eyes during the exchange between Wilt and Nera. After a few seconds, Bloo felt Mac staring at him, and he met his creator's gaze with feigned indifference.

"I meant to do that," Bloo remarked, then walked away towards the house.

Mac watched his friend enter the mansion, then he glanced towards the court, where a game had resumed play. He looked down at the abandoned slingshot, shaking his head and following after Bloo.

By dinnertime, Bloo was at his shenanigans again. This time, he was determined to get more than just eye locking out of his hard work. He tried every single thing he could think of to make sure Wilt and Nera remained in the same room, near eachother...he even promised Jackie three sandwiches a day for a month to help him "accidentally" push Wilt and Nera into eachother. This plan was the only one that worked, but much to Bloo's chagrin, the two had both turned hot in the face and gently pushed eachother away, laughing nervously with Wilt apologizing more than what was the norm for him.

Eventually, though, Bloo began to notice how much more comfortable the two became around eachother, and how often they seemed to make eye contact and _not_ turn away in embarrassment. He assured himself that this was due to his own work, and he took pride in the fact that he had successfully played matchmaker – to a certain extent, at least.

However, he was not the only one to notice his own actions.

"Say Nera," Wilt said one day while the two were helping clear the lunch table. "I'm sorry, but have you noticed that Bloo has been following us around lately?"

Nera stacked yet another dirty plate on the already wobbling pile she held. "Has he really? I never noticed." In fact, Nera failed to notice anything but Wilt himself when they were together; he always had her full attention, which often kept her from performing her usual clumsy antics. Even now, as she held a stack of plates nearly a foot high, she remained relatively balanced while conversing with her best friend.

"Yeah, it's like he's spying on us or something," Wilt mused, then chuckled. "Of course, knowing Bloo, he's always up to some sort of scheme."

Nera smiled and walked towards the other end of the table to pick up more plates. "Whatever he may be planning, I wonder what it has to do with us?"

Wilt scratched his chin. "Hmmm…maybe that's something we'll have to figure out."

"Could we ask him?" suggested Nera.

Wilt waved his only hand dismissively. "No, he'll never tell; even if it has nothing to do with the two of us, he'll keep his mouth zipped up tight."

Nera turned her head around again, catching a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye. She walked back over to Wilt's side of the table and leaned close to the side of his face, causing him to tense up slightly at the close contact. "Say, Wilt…I think we have a little visitor right now." She whispered and smirked with amusement.

It took a minute for Wilt to catch on, for he was eyeing Nera and struck dumb by the close proximity, but he soon snapped out of it and turned his gaze towards the doorway to the dining room, where Bloo was crouched low, holding his breath.

Holding a finger to his lips, Wilt tiptoed over to the doorway. Nera set down her stack of plates and followed close behind. They crept up and peeked around the corner, spying the very edge of a blue arm.

"Well I'll be," Nera murmured. Wilt held a finger to his mouth, a playful smile creeping its way onto his features. Nera raised her eyebrows, surprised to see this side of Wilt, but she nodded in understanding.

Bloo inhaled quietly, prepared to once again peek around the corner to the dining hall. He furrowed his brows and slowly turned his head, wondering why things had suddenly become quiet. Gripping the wood paneling that lined the entry way, he turned to look when suddenly…

"_Hey Bloo!"_

Bloo let out a piercing cry of fright, jumping nearly three times his height with limbs flailing about. He landed with a thud, his hand over his chest as he gasped from breath. He gaped up at Wilt and Nera, who were both laughing hysterically. After a moment, he glared, realizing he had been dooped.

"Ha ha ha, very funny," Bloo muttered sarcastically, standing and brushing himself off. He planted his hands on his hips in an effort to look serious, which only amused the two tall imaginaries even more. "Yes, you caught me, _but_," He jutted a stub at their faces, "this is far from over. You haven't seen the last of Blooreguard Q. Kazoo! _Not by a long shot!_"

Bloo motioned furiously with his arms as he spoke, before turning and marching down the hallway. Before taking a left, Bloo stopped in his tracks and turned to face Wilt and Nera once again, giving them the stink eye. "And don't think I don't know what's going on between you…I know. And whether you think so or not, so do you." With that, he disappeared around the corner.

Wilt's amused smile turned quickly into a frown of confusion. Nera mirrored his expression, just as boggled by Bloo's outburst and accusation.

"Um…" Nera glanced over at Wilt. "What was that about?"

Wilt shook his head. "Beats me."

"And what did he mean by something between us?" Nera inquired.

Wilt thought it over. "Well, we have been spending a lot of time together. Maybe he suspects that…" Wilt stopped, realizing that where he was going with his statement was not necessarily something he wanted to bring up in front of Nera. He was going to suggest that perhaps Bloo was only spying because he knew that Wilt had feelings for Nera, but of course he could not tell her this. What if she didn't feel the same way? Their friendship would be ruined forever. Just the thought cause Wilt's heart to ache.

"He suspects what?" Nera cocked her head.

"Uh…" Wilt began to panic, sweat already forming on his brow with how nervous he had become. "N-nothing. It was nothing. I'm sorry, I-I don't know what I was talking about…"

"Oh…okay then." Nera looked at Wilt, a sudden urge threatening to take advantage of her confidence. "Say Wilt…"

"Yes?" He tried his best to make eye contact, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"I…" How the heck was she supposed to say it? She didn't want to risk ruining their friendship over expressing feelings that weren't mutual; her heart would never heal. "I wanted to say, um…" It was now or never.

"Yeah?" Wilt's curiosity was perked.

"Eh…"

It had to be sooner or later…

"Is something wrong?"

Sigh. Maybe later.

Nera drooped her shoulders and sighed. "I wanted to say…um, that was…that was fun. Scaring Bloo, I mean." She managed a weak yet genuine smile. "We sure got him."

Wilt smiled, his worry now gone. "Yeah, it was, wasn't it? You know, I usually don't roll like that, but for some reason the chance was too good to pass up!"

The mood had lightened, and the pair went back to clearing the table. Nera dropped her entire stack of plates just before she entered the kitchen, however, but luckily none broke, for they landed on carpet. Wilt gladly obliged in helping pick them up, and Nera tried to hide her shame over the situation. She was distracted now by her own thoughts, over her conflicting emotion, and over her near slip up with revealing her love for Wilt.

Wait a minute. Her love…for Wilt. She loved Wilt.

She could no longer deny it, now. She did love him, but the problem was, did he love her back?

No, she thought sadly, it wasn't possible. They were friends, and that's all they would ever be.

…right?


	10. Chapter 10

Foster's was fairly quiet. An unexpected heat wave had hit, and due to the excessive amounts of rain recently, it was considered a chore to even attempt to spend time outside in the hot, humid air. One would need gills to even taste a chance of enjoyment out of doors. Even thought there was plenty to do indoors for the Imaginaries, it was just one of those lazy, quiet days where nothing special was expected to happen; no plans were made, and everyone basically sat about in peace. Even Bloo had ceased his shenanigans for the day, itching to do something but instead choosing to moan and groan from within his room in absolute boredom.

It was also a Monday, inherently the most boring, dragging day of the week.

But for Wilt, the hours left of this day were ticking by much too quickly for his liking.

The squeak of gym shoes against gleaming linoleum was one of the only sounds that permeated the silence that had settled onto the house. However, none were disturbed, for the disturbance in the quiet was in a separate part of the house from the living quarters, in a hallway across from the kitchen and near the back mudroom. The pacing of apprehensive steps was in sync with the dripping of the faucet just a couple of doorways away, but Wilt didn't pay any attention. His mind was reeling.

Ever since he and Nera had gotten to know eachother, there had been a pleasant tug inside of Wilt's chest that he had mistaken for something likening to the warmth of pure friendship. As time passed, however, and he had begun to just how pretty Nera was when she blushed, or how especially kind she seemed to him in general, or how she would smile at Wilt in the most genuine of ways…

Wilt wracked at his brain, willing himself to stay focused on the task at hand. He knew, now, and had realized quite suddenly, that what he felt for Nera was not a mere friendly affection. No, it was much more than that. Wilt would have never admitted it to himself before; partially because his low self esteem would not allow him to think that he could be blessed with such a wonderful whirlwind of emotions, but also because he was afraid of rejection were he to come to terms with these feelings. Of course, both reasons went hand-in-hand, but that was beside the point.

The truth was, Wilt had it bad for Nera, and it had taken him until now to fully realize it.

Nera and Frankie would be walking through that door at any minute, having gotten back from refilling all of the water buckets for the horse Friends out at the stables. Nera had graciously offered to assist the younger Foster in taking the several trips that would be needed to ensure the animals were well-hydrated, for they had no choice but to stand out in the stables with no air-conditioning. Frankie had moaned and complained about how long it would take, to which Nera suggested they both do it to cut the time in half. Frankie was practically on her knees praising Nera, who had then blushed profusely.

Wilt brought his hand up to his face as the temperature in his cheeks rose, sighing and shaking his head; his fake eye rattled with the motion, causing him even more distress. He was never the best at keeping things from people, and he most certainly was a terrible liar. He knew that he had to confess his feelings sooner or later, but he wanted to try to see if Nera felt the same way. If not, all his efforts would be for naught. He would ask to hang out as soon as she walked through that door, and perhaps he would…

There was no time to waste. The door to the mudroom swung open, revealing a reddened and sweaty Frankie. The red-haired teen let out the most exasperated sigh, her tongue hanging from her mouth like a panting dog. She kicked off her boots and flung the bucket she held off to the side before collapsing onto the bench that sat inside the door. Her pale fingers curled around the neckline of the tank top she wore and wriggled it furiously, the cool breeze produced from the action caressing her overheated face and making her bangs sway.

"Oh, Wilt!" The eighteen-year-old turned her attention to the tall Imaginary. "You would not believe how searing hot it is out there!"

Wilt made a small noise of acknowledgement before turning his attention to the lavender figure that entered shortly after Frankie, ducking her head so as to not hit it on the door frame. She succeeded, only to accidentally misstep and trip over one of Frankie carelessly discarded boots. She yelped with surprise as she began her descent forward, long arms flailing to catch herself. Wilt sprung into action, making one huge leap forward and wrapping his own arm around the girl just before she hit the ground. The tomato-colored imaginary friend wobbled a bit as he tried to regain his own balance, keeping his arm wrapped securely around Nera has a blush crept up both of their faces, unbeknownst to eachother.

Frankie was up in an instant. "Oh my gosh! I'm sooo sorry, Nera!" She quickly bent over and grabbed her hay-covered boots, flinging them over into the corner with the rest of the shoes and out of the way of foot traffic. "Oh, I'm so careless! You could have been hurt!"

"I-It's okay." Nera stole a glance up at her savior at he lifted her into a standing position. "A-At least W-Wilt was here."

At that comment, Wilt smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact and murmuring how it wasn't a problem. Frankie smiled knowingly at the two before nodding and bidding them farewell. She had other chores that needed attending before making her next trip out to the stables. She concluded this last statement with an audible groan, causing both Friends to chuckle, stealing more glances in the other's direction.

"Nera, your work is done," Frankie called over her shoulder as she left for the kitchen. "You can go do what you want; I don't need help."

"B-but Frankie!"

"Nope!" Frankie's hand appeared from around the doorway, wagging a finger in disapproval. "You go enjoy yourself!"

Nera and Wilt, completely oblivious to Frankie's ulterior motive, just stood for a moment in silence before Wilt cleared his throat.

"W-well…" he began. "Would you, um…like to hang out with me then…Nera?"

Nera opened her mouth to respond, before pausing and turning to look at Wilt's arm, which was still draped across her shoulders. A blush once again made itself visible on her features as Wilt followed her gaze and immediately snatched his arm away, jumbling over his words as he muttered apologies. Nera looked on as her friend became flustered, silently trying not to grin too widely and show just how adorable she found his antics.

"I-I would love to," she responded to Wilt's previous question, silencing her friend.

"Oh!" He smiled sheepishly, reaching up to rub his gangly neck before gesturing towards the door. "Well then…shall we?"


End file.
